Distribution of perfluoroalkyl acids in fish species from the Baltic Sea and freshwaters in Finland.

Occurrence and distribution of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), a sub-category of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), is widespread in the environment. Food, especially fish meat, is a major pathway via which humans are exposed to PFAAs. As fish is an integral part of Nordic diet, therefore, in this study, several fish species, caught in selected Baltic Sea basins and freshwater bodies of Finland, were analysed for PFAAs. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was detected in all Baltic Sea fish samples and in >80% fish samples from freshwaters. PFOS contributed between 46 and 100% to the total PFAA concentration in Baltic Sea fish samples and between 19 and 28% in fish samples from freshwaters. Geographically, concentration ratios of PFOS to other PFAAs differed between fish from the Baltic Sea and Finnish lakes suggesting that distribution of PFAAs differ in these environments. Results were compared with current safety thresholds - environmental quality standard for biota (EQSbiota) set by the European Commission and a group tolerable weekly intake (TWI) for the sum of four PFASs (∑PFAS-4) i.e. perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and PFOS, recommended by the European Food Authority (EFSA). EQSbiota compliance was observed for PFOS in all species except smelt caught in the Baltic Sea and also in the River Aurajoki, where smelt had migrated from the Baltic Sea for spawning. Moderate consumption of most Baltic fishes (200 g week-1) results in an exceedance of the new TWI (4.4 ng kg-1 body weight week-1) for ∑PFAS-4.

Substances of emerging concern in Baltic Sea water: Review on methodological advances for the environmental assessment and proposal for future monitoring.

The Baltic Sea is among the most polluted seas worldwide. Anthropogenic contaminants are mainly introduced via riverine discharge and atmospheric deposition. Regional and international measures have successfully been employed to reduce concentrations of several legacy contaminants. However, current Baltic Sea monitoring programs do not address compounds of emerging concern. Hence, potentially harmful pharmaceuticals, UV filters, polar pesticides, estrogenic compounds, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or naturally produced algal toxins are not taken into account during the assessment of the state of the Baltic Sea. Herein, we conducted literature searches based on systematic approaches and compiled reported data on these substances in Baltic Sea surface water and on methodological advances for sample processing and chemical as well as effect-based analysis of these analytically challenging marine pollutants. Finally, we provide recommendations for improvement of future contaminant and risk assessment in the Baltic Sea, which revolve around a combination of both chemical and effect-based analyses.

Improved Environmental Status: 50 Years of Declining Fish Mercury Levels in Boreal and Subarctic Fennoscandia.

Temporally (1965-2015) and spatially (55°-70°N) extensive records of total mercury (Hg) in freshwater fish showed consistent declines in boreal and subarctic Fennoscandia. The database contains 54 560 fish entries ( n: pike > perch ≫ brown trout > roach ≈ Arctic charr) from 3132 lakes across Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Russian Murmansk area. 74% of the lakes did not meet the 0.5 ppm limit to protect human health. However, after 2000 only 25% of the lakes exceeded this level, indicating improved environmental status. In lakes where local pollution sources were identified, pike and perch Hg concentrations were significantly higher between 1965 and 1990 compared to values after 1995, likely an effect of implemented reduction measures. In lakes where Hg originated from long-range transboundary air pollution (LRTAP), consistent Hg declines (3-7‰ per year) were found for perch and pike in both boreal and subarctic Fennoscandia, suggesting common environmental controls. Hg in perch and pike in LRTAP lakes showed minimal declines with latitude, suggesting that drivers affected by temperature, such as growth dilution, counteracted Hg loading and food web exposure. We recommend that future fish Hg monitoring sampling design should include repeated sampling and collection of pollution history, water chemistry, fish age, and stable isotopes to enable evaluation of emission reduction policies.

Development and testing of a prototype tool for integrated assessment of chemical status in marine environments.

We report the development and application of a prototype tool for integrated assessment of chemical status in aquatic environments based on substance- and matrix-specific environmental assessment criteria (thresholds). The Chemical Status Assessment Tool (CHASE) integrates data on hazardous substances in water, sediments and biota as well as bio-effect indicators and is based on a substance- or bio-effect-specific calculation of a 'contamination ratio' being the ratio between an observed concentration and a threshold value. Values <1.0 indicate areas potentially 'unaffected', while values >1.0 indicate areas potentially 'affected'. These ratios are combined within matrices, i.e. for water, sediment and biota and for biological effects. The overall assessment used a 'one out, all out principle' with regard to each matrix. The CHASE tool was tested in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea in 376 assessment units. In the former, the chemical status was >1.0 in practically all areas indicating that all areas assessed were potentially affected. The North Sea included areas classified as unaffected or affected. The CHASE tool can in combination with temporal trend assessments of individual substances be advantageous for use in remedial action plans and, in particular, for the science-based evaluation of the status and for determining which specific substances are responsible for a status as potentially affected.

Levels and congener profiles of PBDEs in edible Baltic, freshwater, and farmed fish in Finland.

Fish is the major source of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) for Finnish consumers. To estimate the PBDE contamination in fish that Finns regularly consume as food, a large-scale sampling was undertaken in 2009-2010. Altogether 207 samples of 17 edible fish species were collected from commercially and recreationally important fishing areas in the Baltic Sea, freshwater lakes, and farming facilities. The analysis of 15 PBDE congeners was performed in an accredited testing laboratory with high-resolution gas chromatography mass spectrometry. In all of the samples, the Σ15PBDE varied between 0.029 and 73 ng/g fw. The most abundant congeners were BDE-47 (average proportion 42%), -99 (8.4%), -100 (11%), -154 (5.6%), and -209 (27%). High levels of BDE-209 were observed in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Pori, in Baltic herring, perch, pike, and pike-perch. Overall, the PBDE levels in Baltic and freshwater fish were low. The levels in farmed whitefish were slightly higher than in wild whitefish. The reasons for the high BDE-209 levels in Baltic herring in Pori and the elevated levels of PBDEs in farmed whitefish should be investigated more thoroughly.

Perfluoroalkyl acids in various edible Baltic, freshwater, and farmed fish in Finland.

In this study, the concentration of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in various edible Finnish Baltic Sea, freshwater, and farmed fish species were analysed. PFAAs were present in all the Baltic and freshwater species, but were not observed in any farmed fish. The most abundant compound in each species was perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), comprising 41-100% of the total concentration. The total PFAA concentration varied considerably from 0.31 to 46ngg(-1) fresh weight. A notable variation in the PFAA concentrations implies that a single fish species alone is not suitable for monitoring PFAA contamination in a certain area. Our results confirm that wild domestic fish is one of the PFAA source in the Finnish diet.

[Where do drugs end up in the environment?]. / Mihin lääkeaineet pääityvät ympäristössa?

A large part of harmful substances ending up to the water environment along with wastewaters is derived from consumer chemicals, drugs as well as surface treatment and flame retardant substances. The cocktail blending from them and causing environmental load may cause reproductive disorders to organisms, possibly reflecting to the whole population over a long time. Furthermore, combined effects of the substances are unknown. The consumption of medicines has greatly increased over the past decades, whereby environmental responsibility should be called for both in manufacture and trade by pharmaceutical companies. Consumers should be informed about proper disposal of medicaments.

Organotin intake through fish consumption in Finland.

BACKGROUND: Organotin compounds (OTCs) are a large class of synthetic chemicals with widely varying properties. Due to their potential adverse health effects, their use has been restricted in many countries. Humans are exposed to OTCs mostly through fish consumption. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe OTC exposure through fish consumption and to assess the associated potential health risks in a Finnish population. METHODS: An extensive sampling of Finnish domestic fish was carried out in the Baltic Sea and freshwater areas in 2005-2007. In addition, samples of imported seafood were collected in 2008. The chemical analysis was performed in an accredited testing laboratory during 2005-2008. Average daily intake of the sum of dibutyltin (DBT), tributyltin (TBT), triphenyltin (TPhT) and dioctyltin (DOT) (SigmaOTCs) for the Finnish population was calculated on the basis of the measured concentrations and fish consumption rates. RESULTS: The average daily intake of SigmaOTCs through fish consumption was 3.2ng/kgbwday(-1), which is 1.3% from the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 250ng/kgbwday(-1) set by the European Food Safety Authority. In total, domestic wild fish accounted for 61% of the SigmaOTC intake, while the intake through domestic farmed fish was 4.0% and the intake through imported fish was 35%. The most important species were domestic perch and imported salmon and rainbow trout. CONCLUSIONS: The Finnish consumers are not likely to exceed the threshold level for adverse health effects due to OTC intake through fish consumption.

Concentrations of organotin compounds in various fish species in the Finnish lake waters and Finnish coast of the Baltic Sea.

Organotin compounds (OTCs) leaching from the antifouling paints used in boats and ships have contaminated many water areas worldwide. The purpose of this study was to obtain a general view of the organotin contamination in fish in Finnish lake areas and Finnish coast of the Baltic Sea using perch as the main indicator species. Perch sampling covered areas presumed as less contaminated and areas suspected as more contaminated. Besides perch, 12 other species were sampled from sites presumed as less contaminated. OTCs measured were mono-, di- and tributyltin, mono-, di-, and triphenyltin and dioctyltin. The sum concentration of OTCs (SigmaOTCs) in perch in the least contaminated areas of the Baltic Sea were around 20 ng/g fresh weight (fw) and less than 10 ng/g fw in lake areas. In heavily contaminated areas of the Baltic Sea 150-500 ng/g fw in perch were detected. In lake areas the maximum SigmaOTCs in perch was only 30 ng/g fw. With regard to the other species in the Baltic Sea, salmon, sprat, flounder, whitefish, vendace and lamprey contained low concentrations (SigmaOTCs mainly less than 20 ng/g fw), whereas in pike, pike-perch, burbot and bream concentrations were higher. SigmaOTCs in lake fish were generally lower than in the Baltic Sea. In a distance gradient study, SigmaOTCs in perch decreased quickly from nearly 200 ng/g fw at a contaminated harbor area to 35 ng/g fw during a distance of 5 km. Further decrease was slower and reached 15 ng/g fw at 100 km. In a size dependence study triphenyltin showed better correlation with the fish length than tributyltin for all species studied, i.e. for perch (0.16 vs 0.26), pike-perch (0.13 vs 0.24) and roach (0.46 vs 0.80). High correlation for roach may be partly explained by smaller number of samples collected and small length range.

Increasing trends of total organic carbon concentrations in small forest lakes in Finland from 1987 to 2003.

Trends in total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations over the period 1987-2003 were studied in 13 small forest lakes. Recovery from acidification (reduced SO(4) deposition) and long-term changes in runoff as potential drivers for the trends were examined. The results showed that TOC concentrations have increased throughout Finland. Ten of the 13 lakes showed a significant increasing TOC trend (p<0.05), and included both clear water and humic lakes. The largest annual increase in TOC occurred in lakes with the largest average concentrations. The magnitude of the TOC trends were not significantly related to the proportion of peat soils in the catchment but the catchment size was an important predictor. Decreasing SO(4) deposition and improved acid-base status in soil due to the recovery from acidification implied an increased mobilisation of organic acids and TOC. There was little evidence that the long-term increasing trend in TOC concentrations was related to long-term changes in runoff. However, large seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in runoff did appear to affect TOC concentrations for a number of years.

Recovery from acidification of Finnish lakes: regional patterns and relations to emission reduction policy.

The regional-scale response of Finnish headwater lakes to changes in acidifying deposition loads was studied using data from a national deposition monitoring network (19 stations), acidification monitoring lakes (163 lakes) and results of a statistically based national lake survey (873 lakes). Data from 1990 to 1999 were used for statistical trend analysis. A deposition model was used to assess changes in S and N deposition for the year 2010, assuming emission reductions according to two international agreements. The deposition of sulfate and H(+) showed statistically significant (Kendall-tau, P<0.05) decreasing trends at nearly all deposition stations. For N compounds, nearly all slopes were negative, but rarely statistically significant. Sulfate concentrations have declined in all types of small lakes throughout Finland in the 1990s (significant decline in 64-85% of the lakes in three different lake regions), indicating a clear response to S emission reductions and declined sulfate deposition. Base cation concentrations decreased in both deposition and lake water, especially in southern Finland, but to a lesser extent than sulfate concentrations. The median slope of the trend for Gran alkalinity in lakes ranged between 0.98 and 2.1 microeq l(-1) a(-1). Some 1400 (27%) of Finnish headwater lakes of size 4-100 ha were estimated to show statistically significant increases in Gran alkalinity (recovery). No large changes were observed in the lake water TOC concentrations. The reduction in S deposition is the main driving factor for the lake acidification recovery process in Finland. Deposition model calculations showed that further large reductions in S deposition beyond the 1999 level are not likely to occur by the year 2010, particularly for southeastern Finland. The mean estimated S deposition change by 2010 for the three lake regions in Finland was only between -0.9 and -6.6% for the two policy scenarios (UN/ECE Gothenburg protocol, EU NEC-directive), respectively. A slower acidification recovery of the lake ecosystems is, therefore, anticipated in the future.